Neues Volk 1943 / Kalender des Rassenpolitischen Amtes der NSDAP 1943

This calendar cover, Neues Volk 1943, was produced by Zentralverlag der NSDAP, and it's unsettling how ordinary it looks. The color palette is muted, almost faded, as if trying to normalize the image. The photograph is soft, airbrushed, presenting an idealized version of womanhood. What’s striking is the flattening effect, the way the tones blend so smoothly it is devoid of texture. I find myself staring at the hair, how it’s styled in these perfect curls, so controlled and artificial. It reminds me of the way propaganda works: it takes something complex, messy, human, and smooths it out, removing all the imperfections. There is a chilling effect of the image's perfect and unblemished surface, which speaks volumes about the era's obsession with purity and control. Think about Leni Riefenstahl, and her aestheticization of power. In a way, art always reflects the values and anxieties of its time, even when those values are deeply problematic. It's a dark mirror, reflecting back what we need to confront.